Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Otago "Lake District". Hector and Buchanan us. meant by this the neighbourhood of L. Wanaka. Type: K, Hector and Buchanan 1864-5, subalpine.

Stems erect, up to ± 5 dm. tall, herbaceous except towards base, close-set, quadrangular, arising from slender to stout branching rhizomes. Branches ascending, very slender; branchlets filiform, ∞, ascending, glab. Lvs opp. or subopp., on slender petioles hardly 1 mm. long. Lamina narrow-linear to filiform, membr., 7-10 × 1-2 mm. Lvs at base of branchlets sts broad-ovate, with 2 to 4 distinct lateral nerves. Racemes 3-5-(7) cm. long, with us. a few lvs towards base. Fls distant, on filiform pedicels up to 4 mm. long; sepals ovate-oblong, acute, up to c. 2 mm. long; petals similar, a little shorter. Carpels 10.

DIST.: S., St. Montane to subalpine rocky places and streamsides from about lat. 41° southwards, mainly along and west of divide.

FL.- FT. 11-2.

Hooker included specimens from North Id of C. plumosa, C. pteridoides, and hybrids. His description is: "A small bright green annual species, 6-18 in. high, with the habit of C. thymifolia, but the branches are glabrous, very slender, more dense, and the leaves are very narrow-linear-lanceolate or subulate, 1/4 in. long." It seems best to select the type so as to confine the name to the South Id species. The plant is summer-green and often cut down to the base in winter.